Process of producing potash.



, UNITED s'trarrns PATENT OFFICE- .GECiB GE F. VON KOLN'TTZ, OF CHARLESTON, SOUTH UAROLTNQ.

success 6r PRODUCING Po'msn.

T 1/ niomz. 1'! may coiu'crn:

Be it known that (iuouon F. to}: K01- xrrz, a citizen of the United States, resid mg at Charleston, inthe county of Charles- 5 ton and State of South Carolina, have in- J directly from the rented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Producing Potash, of which the following is a specification.

(This invention relates to the production or manufzu-turc of potash or potassium salts, especially the chlorid, from the mineral lauconitc, also known as grcensand, and has for its object to provide an improved and practical process for making said compound mineral indicated, or from similar silicates.

The production of potassium salts or compounds from glauconite has been heretofore proposed, as for example by the process disclosed in the patent to llckel, No. 1011172, The present invention is designed as or amounts to an improvement on said patented process, involving simpler and cheaper operation, and more direct and better results, having various points of dilference as will more fully appear from thefollowing description. The availability of greens-and as a source of potash. with respect to itscheapness and its natural condition, is discussed in said patent, and need not be repeated here, except to reatiirm its superiority for the dsired purpose to the feldspar-s and other minerals from which it has heretofore been. proposed to extract potash.

In performing my process in the best manner known to me, I first heat thdgreensa id, eitherwith or without preliminary treatment, such as powdcring or washing, at a temperature of not more than 435 degrees, preferably about 335 degrees Centigrade which expcls the combined moisture and also acts to change the ferrous oxid and silicate to ferric oxid, the temperature employed being insutlicient to cause any marked volatilization of thc potash, but sufiicient to prepare the material for the chemical treatment which follows. This preheated material is then mixed with calcium chlorid ((12101 to a temperature suliicient to promote the chemical reaction. but preferably not to exheedfiiit) degrees centigrade. The amount of calcium chlorid which I have found to give the best Specification of Letters Patent. l'afentmlog t, 17, 1916, M, Application filed January 7, 1916. sem in. 70,790.

cium chlorid. aslow as 12%), andr-lessfa- \ul'able results with even as low as 5%.

The second heating referred to'shouh l be done in a closed vessel, and ina reducing atmosphere, or without air, so as to prevent the decomposition 'of the calcium chlorid, preferably in a rotary furnace, or one in which the mass is stirred, to agitate the material and thus assist the intimate mixture and chemical reaction of the materials. The preheating is preferably done under open conditions, or in the presence of air. The calcium chlorid acts not only as a flux, but its chlorin permeates the mass and reacts on the potash to form a water soluble potassium chlorid, the calcium constituent uniting with the other elements of the greensand. Finally, the water soluble potash, nmriate in character, or potassium chlorid, is leached out of the mass and boiled down to about 27 or 28 degrees Baum and crystallized out, and dried to form a commercial product. i

It has been found that by this process practically pure potassium chlorid may be extracted at a relatively small cost, and by using proper quantities and treatment almost all of the potassium in the material is recovered, the result being decidedly superior, both with respect to cost of treatment and the relative value of the product, to any other process known to me.

The invention is not limited to the exact materials specified, nor to the exact ten peratures and mode of treatment specified, but equivalents may be used, or modifications employed, within the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

What I claim is:

lfThe process of producing potassium chlorid from greensand, comprising precovering the potassium chlorid so formed.

2. he process of producing potassium chlor d from greensand, comprising eheating the greensand in the presence 0 in oxidizing medium to a temperature sulficient to change its ferrous oxid to ferric oxid, and then heating the material in the presence of calcium chlo'rid to a higher temperature to form potassium chlorid, the term perature in each instance being insuflicient to oxidizing medium to about 335 "degrees 0., volatilize the potash,- and recovering the poand then heetin the material to a higher 16 tassium chlorid so formed. temperature in t e presence of calcium chlo- 3. The process ofobtaining potassium vrid and in a reducmcgl atmosphere, to form 5 chlorid from greensand, comprising prepotassium chlorid, an recovering the potasheati'ng the greeneand in the presence'of air, sium chlorid so formed. and then heating he material in the presence In testimony whereof, I afiix my signa- ID of cfelcium chlori in filredicingdatmosphere, ture in presence of two witnee'sles.- to 01m otassium c ori an recoverin I 10 the potas ium ch orid so foi'med. g VON KOTNWZ' 4. The procese of p oducing potassium Witnesses: chlorid 'from. greensand comprising i:;- N. M. OROUmm, heating the greensand in the presence 0 "En GEORGE F. von KOLNITZJL-JI'M 

